How to Watch: UNC Football vs. NC State

Last season, this was a game many weren’t looking forward to. The Tar Heels had lost three in a row to NC State, and the 2023 game in Raleigh was an utter embarrassment. By the time Carolina trudged into the 2024 game, they were only 6-5, and Mack Brown had been fired by a phone call from Bubba Cunningham. The Tar Heels once again lost in embarrassing fashion, with State once again trying to plant a flat into fake grass.

We thought it couldn’t really get worse and there was at least some hope after a change in leadership. How silly we were.

Now, the Tar Heels are limping along to their last game under the leadership of a coach that is making more headlines off the field than on it, a General Manager that spins more than a tire at the Indy 500, and only the faint hope of a huge recruiting class coming in next year to start something. In fact, there’s probably a not-too-insignificant part of the fan base that’s hoping that the Wolfpack does what they’ve done the last few seasons to make the administration that sabotaged the coaching search finally admit a mistake and start over. Only this time it’d be after spending a lot more money and finding a coach at the same time approximately half the schools in the country are.

In other words, yes it got worse.

Carolina enters the game hoping to avoid going 0-3 against their Big Four opponents, but there’s very little reason to believe it’ll happen. The Wolfpack are coming off an extra day off, just beat Florida State in Raleigh, and don’t have the pressure of playing for a bowl game. Add to this the fact that coach Dave Doeren is very much aware of what a win against UNC does for him and his standing with fans. He’s literally saved his job (and gotten contract extensions) based on this game because the last real taste in the mouth of Wolfpack fans is a win over their hated rival.

The optics are weird in Raleigh too, though, as a majority of their fans are similarly ready for a different taste. Had they lost to Florida State, there was a thought that both fan bases would play a game of “No, after you.” Now, while they won’t be necessarily happy with Doeren, the reality of the national coaching search plus their abject horror of losing to UNC will likely lead to their usual attitude. That said, if the Tar Heels can keep it close and take the crowd out of the game, the inconsistent Wolfpack may falter.

Either way, the season will be over for football after tonight — maybe. With a win, Carolina ends the year at 5-7 and with the way bowls now struggle to get teams thanks to the transfer portal, it’s possible that the Tar Heels will be able to go one as a squad with a high academic standing. How many fans will care is likely to be counted on a couple of hands, but for all intents and purposes football will fade after tonight.

So, if you aren’t going to be in Raleigh tonight, here’s how you can catch the action:Time: 7:30 PM ETLocation: Carter-Finley Stadium — Raleigh, NC TV: ACC Network; Chris Cotter will handle play-by-play, Max Browne will be on color, Ashley Stroehlein handles the sidelinesRadio: Tar Heel Sports Network with Jones Angell, Joe Jauch and Adam Lucas. Here’s a list of affiliates airing the THSN broadcast. You can also listen to them on GoHeels.com, The Varsity Network, Tune In, and Sirius XM on channel 382.Streaming: Watch ESPNLines: UNC +7, Moneyline +225/NC State -7, Moneyline -278, Over/Under 48.5 (-110)